Ten Tips

1.) Reload Regularly

If you're a veteran of the third-person shooter, the first-person shooter, or both, this kind of advice should be old-hat for you by now. But for the rest of you, listen up. You'll want to reload often, and you won't want to wait until you absolutely have to, either. For instance, if you're in a heated gunfight and you're using a FAL, you'll have some thirty bullets in your clip. But that clip isn't static, meaning that if you expel ten bullets and have twenty left, you can actually put ten more into your clip to fill it back up to thirty, granted you have the reserve ammunition. Waiting to do this until you have to in the middle of battle is a bad idea, so instead, do so when you have a second. It will save you from having to reload in a more inconvenient situation. As you play the game more and more, tapping R2 to reload on a regular basis will become second nature.

2.) Choose the Proper Weapon

Uncharted 2: Among Thieves might be unrealistic in many ways, but Nathan Drake keeps it real in one way in particular. Unlike in so many games, where you can hold a ridiculous amounts of weapon and gear, in Uncharted 2, just like its predecessor, you can only hold two weapons at a time (in addition to your grenade stash). This necessitates picking out the right weapons. Of course, this will require a mixture of preference with situational analysis, but in general, you want to pick out the strongest weapons you can for a particular battle, while balancing its ammunition count as well. For instance, a Pistole is an awesome close-range pistol that can kill most enemies in one hit. However, you can't hold much ammunition for it. So while having one as you dash through a scantly-occupied village might be good, you might want to defer to a weaker pistol with more ammunition, like the 92FS, if you're in a more entrenched, lengthier battle.

3.) Gather and Use Grenades

Drake is able to hold up to four grenades at one time, and it's easy to overlook just how useful these explosive weapons can be. The benefit to using them in Uncharted 2 isn't only limited to their damage potential, however, because you can actually control the throwing of the grenades pretty well in Uncharted 2. By using the L2 button, you can control the arc of the grenade toss, allowing you to place it precisely where you want it. You can even do this from behind cover when Drake isn't looking. Talk about talented! Never overlook the use of grenades, and don't be afraid to use them, either. As you'll find out, many enemies drop them, and they appear to be just about everywhere in the game. Thus, there's no need to hold onto them.

4.) Seek Cover

This is an especially important tip for those gamers playing through Uncharted 2 on Hard or Crushing mode, but everyone else will want to take notice as well. Rushing through Uncharted 2 is about as impossible as rushing through the original was. While you can certainly cut some corners, platform quickly and go about most of the game in a rush, you won't want to rush through combat scenes. Instead, remain meticulous and use cover regularly. There is absolutely no reason to get cut apart by enemy bullets if you don't have to. Use cover, and use it often. It will no doubt prolong your life and allow you to go longer in the game without dying. Rushing around during combat will simply frustrate you, because you're guaranteed to die time and time again. Also try to use blindfire. Usually the enemies come to cover to ingage in combat. If you have a AK-47 its usually better with that or a pistol.

5.) Heal Before Rejoining Battle

This tip goes hand-in-hand with the Seek Cover tip. If you've taken some damage, whether it's a little or a lot, the best technique you can utilize is to instantly seek some cover, and recover from your wounds before rejoining the battle. Of course, this won't always be possible, as battles rage quickly around you and may draw you back in before the time is right. However, in general, you can get away with seeking cover and recovering from your wounds before you have to get involved with the fight again. This is a good idea simply because while you may have only sustained a little bit of damage, that can quickly turn into a lot of damage if you don't give yourself time to heal.

6.) The Treasure Glimmer

Our walkthrough covers the locations of all one-hundred treasures in the game, and we even have another section of our guide dedicated to each treasure. But if you want to find them organically, the only reliable way to do so is to methodically move through each chapter while keeping an eye out for the treasure's telltale glimmer. Every four or five seconds, a treasure will give off a sparkle that can be seen even from far away. Treasure is usually in an area not populated by anything, so if you see a area next to your destination check it out. Keep an eye out for that as you move through each chapter, and you'll no doubt encounter plenty of treasure on your own. Just don't confuse the glimmer of a treasure for the glimmer of a weapon or grenade sitting around idly; that's led to the disappointment of many a treasure seeker.

7.) Alternate Routes

Though largely linear in nature, Uncharted 2 does give you the option to take more than one route through certain areas of certain chapters, especially when fierce battles are raging around you. Since one route will always prove to be more advantageous than the other, you'll want to seek them out when you can. For instance, if a battle is raging in and around a series of buildings, you may want to use the rooftops to fight from instead of fighting house to house or in the streets. Not only will this give you a height advantage on your enemies, but it will allow you to seek better cover from incoming bullets as well.

8.) Sneak!

A new-ish feature in Uncharted 2: Among Thieves that wasn't in Uncharted: Drake's Fortune is the ability to sneak around more readily, and stealth kill enemies that are unaware of your presence. This can be done a lot more than it may initially seem. While you're forced to do it in early chapters, like when you're in the museum in Turkey, you can sneak and stealth kill in just about every subsequent chapter as well. Taking out enemies quietly before alerting the rest of their cohorts to your presence can only work in your advantage, so try to sneak-and-kill as much as you can. This also helps with big heavy armored enemies with rocket launchers.

9.) Consult Your Journal

An often overlooked feature of the game is Drake's journal. While you won't always be able to access it, you often can by pressing the Select button. Some areas or puzzles will have the pop up with select. Important facts, images and names will be stored in here from the story, so if you want to catch up on what's been going on in the game, check out your journal. More importantly, the journal can also give you clues on solving puzzles, so if you're stuck, the game may prompt you to check your journal. Do so, because the information and knowledge contained within can prove to be invaluable. Also there can be interesting facts or things about Drake.

10.) Replay!

There isn't an alternate story to find in Among Thieves, but there's still plenty of reasons to play the game through more than once. Don't hesitate to play through the game again on a harder difficulty setting, or play through again to get that stray trophy or medal. Remember -- there's more than trophies to unlock in Uncharted 2. Earn in-game money by earning medals, and you'll have plenty to unlock, including videos, images, artwork and more.